Symptoms and Treatment of Canine Distemper

1 Symptoms and Treatment of Canine Distemper

Routes of CDV infection:

The source is mainly sick dogs and virus-carrying dogs. The virus is shed through tears, nasal discharge, saliva, urine, and feces (recovered dogs also shed for a long time). CDV spreads mainly by respiratory and digestive tracts, through droplets, food, or unclean medical tools, infecting via conjunctiva, mouth, nose, vagina, and rectal mucosa. Recovered dogs gain lifelong immunity.

Symptoms of canine distemper:

The incubation period is generally 3–6 days (up to 30–60 days in odd-host animals); symptoms include:

1. Biphasic fever: high fever to about 40°C, lasting 8–18 h, then a 1–2 day fever-free or low-fever latency with improved spirit and appetite, then temperature rises again to about 40°C for several days.

2. Lethargy, anorexia, cough, dyspnea, runny nose, vomiting, diarrhea (bloody stool).

3. Conjunctivitis in both eyes with purulent discharge.

4. Neurological signs: muscle twitching, paralysis of both hind limbs or the whole hindquarters.

5. Purulent rash on the lower abdomen; severe keratosis of paw pads and nasal planum (thickened nose and footpads).

Diagnosis of canine distemper:

Because the disease often has mixed and secondary bacterial infection, making signs complex, diagnosis is hard. Then virus isolation, serology (fluorescent antibody method), or a rapid CDV test strip (colloidal gold immunochromatography) is needed to confirm.

Treatment of canine distemper:

The principle: maintain constitution, fight the virus, prevent secondary infection, and treat symptoms.

Maintain constitution: vitamin C, creatine, ATP, coenzyme A, etc.; valuable dogs may get intravenous life-support solution or canine albumin to sustain constitution.

Specific therapy (antiviral): canine distemper hyperimmune serum, interferon, canine distemper monoclonal antibody, etc.

Anti-inflammatory and antibacterial: cephalosporins (cefradine, ceftriaxone sodium, etc.) or penicillins (ampicillin sodium, amoxicillin-clavulanate, etc.).

Fever: antipyretic-analgesic injection (compound aminopyrine), Bupleurum injection, etc.

Anti-vomiting: antiemetic (maropitant-type), omeprazole, etc.

Neurological signs: chlorpromazine, vitamin B1, vitamin B12, etc.

Relieve respiratory signs: aminophylline, etc.

Prevention of canine distemper:

The course is generally 2 weeks or a bit longer; with catarrhal pneumonia and enteritis it may be longer, and with neurological signs it is longest. Canine distemper has high mortality; the best prevention is vaccination on schedule!